The dog-like servant Ling Qianhe intended to kill was named Cao Yan.
With the new Empress backing him in the palace, he had been arrogant and overbearing.
Now, he was weeping uncontrollably, tears smearing his face, looking almost pathetic.
He knelt there, trembling all over.
“This old servant had eyes but failed to recognize true worth…”
This was his private villa; he had no idea how it had been discovered.
He stole glances at the young man before him, his mind consumed with a single thought: how, how could he stall for even a little while?
If he didn’t report for duty tomorrow… the Empress would surely notice something was amiss.
Then, the Empress would definitely save him!
As long as he could delay for a moment – just delay… he thought deliriously, his fingernails digging into his palms.
The pain cleared his mind somewhat. He wanted to prostrate himself before the young man and beg for mercy, but Ling Qianhe kicked him away.
He looked at him, disbelieving.
“Your spiritual meridians… they’re back?”
“Your cultivation… how did it recover?”
How was this possible!
He was clearly a cripple now!
Gasping for breath, his eyes were filled with confusion, but the fear of death drove him to lunge at Ling Qianhe again. His eyes were filled with pain as he struggled to speak.
“Regarding what happened back then, this old servant had no choice… How could this old servant not have felt heartache? Outside that palace, this old servant also shed tears for the late Empress…”
“But that bowl of medicine was an order from the Empress, strictly forbidden to be delivered. This old servant is merely a dog to his master; whatever the master says, this old servant must obey.”
“How could this old servant make decisions for his master…”
“I beg you, Your Highness, I beg you, spare this old dog’s life…”
“This old servant truly had no choice…”
He wished he could burst into tears, but a glint of red flickered in Ling Qianhe’s eyes.
He watched the cringing servant’s pleas with cold eyes, the smile on his lips growing sharper.
“No choice?”
“What a fine excuse for ‘no choice’.”
“When you made a mistake back then, you were to be dragged to the execution ground. It was my mother’s kindness that spoke for you, sparing your dog’s life. Yet now you claim you had no choice, you dog-slave, truly deserving of death!”
He looked at the man groveling at his feet and drew his sword.
With a single stroke, he severed the tendons in the man’s hands and chopped off his legs.
The young man wished he could flay the wretch a thousand times, reducing him to bloody pulp to vent the icy hatred in his heart.
He watched the other man coldly, the malevolent energy in his mind crashing about, his head throbbing.
His eyes were blood-red, the sword in his hand stained with blood. For a moment, he resembled a demon god between heaven and earth, ready to slay any existence that dared to obstruct his killing!
Lin Mu Ci saw the young man like this for the first time. His exquisitely perfect face was smudged with a chilling killing intent, like a jade-faced Asura, so cold it sent shivers down one’s spine.
But in this state, she felt that perhaps this was how he was meant to be.
A villain devoid of emotion.
An evil god of heaven and earth.
He was born to delight in slaughter.
She watched the young man’s actions in silence. The man was a bloody mess, yet his eyes still seemed blood-red; he felt it wasn't enough and wanted to continue.
Lin Mu Ci finally frowned.
“Enough.”
“It’s enough.”
She spoke.
The young man’s voice was ice-cold.
“Those who obstruct me will all die!”
His words were sharp and domineering. Although the spiritual energy still surged violently, the girl behind him showed no concern and simply embraced him. His body stiffened slightly as she held him tightly. Her voice was gentle, and the murderous aura that filled him seemed to be drawn out of his body in an instant.
She comforted him softly.
“It’s alright, this wicked slave is already dead…”
The young man’s back still trembled.
The red hue in his eyes gradually spread until his eyes were completely crimson. His lips quivered, and he urged her to leave.
“Don’t… stay by my side. I’m afraid I… won’t be able to control myself and will hurt you.”
The bloodthirsty craving made him want to destroy everything he saw. He only wished for everything to collapse.
Yet, the girl continued to hold him gently. He heard her say.
“No.”
“I believe in you, you won’t.”
Her emotions were conveyed through her embrace.
He gasped for air, and the red glow in his eyes finally began to recede. The young man looked at Lin Mu Ci with a complex expression. She said.
“Let’s go.”
“Are there others you need to kill?”
…
The little system screamed frantically in Lin Mu Ci’s mind.
“Host, you cannot, you absolutely cannot indulge him in this killing spree! The demonic nature in his body will become uncontrollable!”
“You must teach him to hold kindness in his heart, teach him to let go of hatred and walk the righteous path…”
“You must let the light of righteousness shine upon him; that is the correct storyline!”
Lin Mu Ci, however, was very confused.
“The light of righteousness?”
“Letting go of hatred?”
“On what grounds? The suffering he endured, the hardships he faced, someone must repay. For you to tell him to let go of hatred is wrong. If you have a grievance, you must seek revenge; I believe that is what is called a glorious life.”
She spoke righteously and forcefully.
The little system was frantic.
“No, if he becomes a demon, what will you do?”
“If he blackens, isn’t that throwing everything into chaos? What if he turns and kills you in a blood frenzy? Aren’t you afraid?”
As the little system spoke in her mind, even the young man, who had nearly descended into madness, couldn’t help but ask her.
“I was very terrifying just now, weren’t I? Aren’t you afraid?”
“But I’ve been like this since childhood. When I’m angry, I can’t control my emotions at all.”
“I only want to kill, to have the entire world stained with blood.”
“I am tyrannical and cruel, by no means a good person.”
“It is precisely for this reason that I was disdained by that man – he didn’t want to acknowledge someone like me as his son. Naturally, I don’t consider him my father either. When my mother died, I was so enraged that I almost killed him.”
“There is no son in this world who almost kills his father. Thus, I became a discarded prince.”
“And met you in the cold palace.”
He looked at her, his eyes slightly cold.
But through his cold eyes, Lin Mu Ci could see a sliver of hidden expectation. He asked her.
“Someone like me, am I still worthy of your unwavering loyalty, of you not leaving?”
She turned her head to meet his gaze.
The cold moonlight fell upon her face.
The moonlight shone like a floral adornment on the girl’s brow. Her lips curved slightly, and her starlike eyes gazed directly at his face.
“What am I afraid of?”
“Afraid you’ll kill me?”
“I haven’t done anything wrong, nor have I ever harmed you.”
“I helped your spiritual meridians regenerate, and I even roasted fierce beast meat for you. You are mine.”
“You are mine, what am I afraid of?”
She tiptoed – then slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He stiffened slightly, unable to react. The girl before him leaned close to his ear and said.
“I never liked those upright and dignified good people.”
“Saying high-sounding words, yet stabbing me to the heart with a knife.”
“I don’t want the good people in the eyes of the world – I only want… someone who will never hurt me.”
“Is that possible?”
Her eyes sparkled. The young man opposite her closed his eyes and then opened them again. His mind roared like thunder. Her eyebrows and eyes were more brilliant than the Milky Way. His voice trembled.
“I won’t… I won’t hurt you.”
“So…”
“So…”
“Don’t… leave.”
If you are to stay by my side, then never leave.